23 Best Sights in Austin, Texas

Join the thousands of Austinites who frequent downtown's beloved hike-and-bike trail, which makes a sweeping 10-mile loop around the beautiful Lady Bird Lake. The trails are open to all ages and speeds, welcoming walkers, runners, cyclists, and people-watchers alike. This lush, urban path has recently expanded with a new boardwalk extension, allowing the full circuit to wind through some of the city's best sights, including lakeside parks, art installations, and downtown restaurants and coffee shops with walk-up windows.

Don't miss visiting the Austin Public Library's flagship branch, a striking architectural wonder reflecting the natural beauty of the Hill Country and affording beautiful views of Lady Bird Lake from the landscaped rooftop terrace. Wander through the six-floor structure, free of charge, filled to the brim with modern accoutrements that turn reading into a stimulating experience. There are art galleries, amphitheater seating for concerts and community events, kids' play areas, gaming and computer stations, and hundreds of cozy nooks and crannies to hide away with a book. On-site garage parking is easy to validate inside, and the first-floor gift shop is packed with lovely literary and Austin-centric keepsakes.

This 12-mile series of hike-and-bike trails follows the contour of Barton Creek and the canyon it created west along an 8-mile-long area from Zilker Park to west of Loop 360. The popular Greenbelt features even more sought-after swimming holes when the creek is full (very rain-dependent, it's usually in spring and fall). Several access points will get you on the riverside trails, including at Zilker Park, Loop 360, Twin Falls, Scottish Woods Trail Falls (near the intersection of MoPac and Loop 360), and Scottish Woods Trail (at the trail's northern border, off Loop 360).

Rising to a height of 785 feet, Mt. Bonnell offers the best views of Lake Austin from its location a few miles northwest of downtown and the Barton Creek Greenbelt. Stop by during the day for a glimpse of the sweeping panorama of rolling hills, the Colorado River, the picturesque 360 Pennybacker Bridge, and a great far-off view of the downtown skyline on a clear day. It's a short but steep climb up a flight of stone steps from a strip of informal parking spots just off the road. There is another sloping, crushed gravel trail at the end of the parking spots that also leads to the top. Once you're at the humble summit, you'll find a diverse crowd of first dates, nature and portrait photographers, families, picnickers, and just plain old tourists. The trails are open from 5 am until 10 pm, so visitors can catch stunning sunrises or starry skies.

Built in 1888 from Texas pink granite, this impressive structure, capped by a 60-foot-wide cast-iron dome, stands taller than the U.S. Capitol (yes, everything is bigger in Texas), and it is certainly a crown jewel of the Lone Star State. The Renaissance Revival building dominates downtown Austin, visible from various points through protected Capitol view corridors, and it looks grandiose from every angle. The surrounding grounds, occupying 22 acres on a well-appointed hilltop, are just as impressive.

You can catch one of the free 30-minute historical tours, offered from 9:30 am to 4 pm on weekdays and from 12:30 pm to 4:00 pm on weekends, or take a self-guided tour anytime during operating hours. No matter how you choose to experience the Capitol, be sure to stand in the center of the star on the ground floor under the main floor's rotunda and look up, up, up into the dome and lose perspective for a moment—it's a Texas rite of passage.

This nearly 450-acre university campus has a lot to do with Austin's reputation as a lone liberal island amid the roiling seas of conservative Texas. UT Longhorns are as passionate about football as they are about education, with 13 distinct colleges and schools and outstanding graduate programs that produce global leaders, Nobel Prize winners, and committed lifelong academics. Nicknamed the 40 Acres after the original tract of land set aside by the state in 1883, this now-sprawling campus is a feather in the cap of the Texas university system. Stroll the grandly picturesque grounds at your leisure, attend a home game at DKR Stadium, drop in to one of the award-winning campus museums, archives, or libraries (from the LBJ Presidential Library to the Ransom Center), or take a self-guided "Landmarks" walking tour of the campus' top-notch public art collection, which includes a Skyspcace by James Turrell.

A former Native American gathering place and later a site of Franciscan missions in the 1700s, present-day Zilker Park is Austin's biggest public green space. Locals consider the 351-acre park complex their own backyard, albeit a massive one that stretches along the shores of Lady Bird Lake and includes adjacent sites like Barton Springs, botanical gardens, and various lakeside trails. Parking is increasingly difficult in recent years, so take the free Zilker Shuttle that runs May through September to avoid the congestion. In spring, the park hosts a beloved annual kite festival plus a long-running concert series at the Zilker Hillside Theater, a natural outdoor amphitheater shaded by century-old pecan trees; musicals and plays take over in the summer. The annual Austin City Limits Music Festival, along with hundreds of thousands of attendees, descend on the park for two weeks in October.

Depending on when you visit this lush green park, you’ll have a totally different experience. If you manage to make it here for a concert or festival (whether it's SXSW or the annual Austin Reggae Festival), the park transforms into a venue with one of the finest views of the downtown skyline as a backdrop. On any random day of the week, however, you’ll find that the wide-open, lakeside green space is the perfect place to stretch out and read a book, catch a pickup game of Frisbee, or snap a photo of the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial statue along the hike-and-bike trail.

Since 2004, Austin City Hall has served as the home of the municipal government and the anchor of downtown's Second Street District. The striking building embodies the New Austin, featuring energy-saving elements like solar panels and modern architectural designs. The angular, four-story limestone-and-concrete building is clad in 66,000 square feet of copper, with a cascading 40-foot waterfall that flows inside and back to Lady Bird Lake just across the street.

Inside, "The People's Gallery" offers a public art exhibit showcasing local artists' work year-round, free for public viewing on weekdays. The outdoor pavilion and amphitheater host free concerts by local bands on Fridays in the spring and fall.

Located in the beautiful, historic Central Library building across from Wooldridge Square, the Austin History Center, part of the public library system, serves as the central repository for historical documents and photographs related to Austin. It houses a priceless collection of items, including over a million photographic images. It's worth stopping by to view one of their annual large-scale exhibits, which feature different themes relating to local Austin history and are free to the public.

Tucked away in the western edges of Zilker Park, this nature preserve boasts an 80-acre trail full of public art (including a human sundial installation), pollinator gardens, and boardwalks through pond systems. Indoor exhibits teach about the ecology of the Austin area and feature a range of interactive displays focusing on subjects such as bees, birds of prey, and other native wildlife. Parking is available under the Mopac Bridge.

Take a stroll through the Bremond Block Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and only a short walk from the Capitol. Admire the high-style, mid- to late-19th-century Victorian homes that belonged to Austin's first wave of wealthy merchants and bankers. While the private homes are not open to the public, self-guided audio walking tours are available for free on the Austin Visitor Center's website.

The historic home and studio of sculptor Elisabet Ney is a lovely gem in the Hyde Park neighborhood that showcases Ney's life and work, with more than 70 sculptures on display. Ney's studio, where she produced sculptures of historic figures, like Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, is set up as she would have had it, with sculpting tools, hat, teacup, and other items all in their proper places. The castle-like home is surrounded by native prairie grasses and more outdoor sculptures. Check their online events calendar for well-attended community events, family-friendly art classes, nature walks, and seasonal festivals.

If you're in need of an Instagram-able memento of your trip to the capital city, head to the Greetings from Austin mural on South 1st Street. The welcoming phrase is depicted in the form of a colorful 1940s-inspired postcard that draws crowds of snapshot-happy visitors for a quick photo op. On any given day, you'll see tour bus groups, costumed bachelorette parties, high-end fashion shoots, and even locals taking their annual Christmas card photo with an on-site Santa Claus, at this popular public artwork. The mural is on the side of Roadhouse Relics, a small art studio and gallery showcasing the incredible work of local neon artist Todd Sanders.

Located on the UT campus, this oft-overlooked Austin institution is one of the world's greatest arts archives and humanities research centers. Among its fantastic riches are original self-portraits by Frida Kahlo, Einstein's notebook calculations on general relativity, Robert De Niro's archive of film costumes, and a complete copy of an original Gutenberg Bible. Tour the permanent and rotating exhibits, access millions of rare literary documents, photos, scripts, and artistic artifacts in the Reading Room, or check the monthly events calendar for special poetry readings, film screenings, and various artist-led discussions. Certain research materials can only be seen with advance notice, so call ahead if you have a specific item in mind.

This simple mural, featuring the phrase "i love you" scrawled in red spray paint on the side of Jo's Coffee on South Congress, has become an unlikely art installation and permanent photo op for locals and visitors alike. On any given day, you could see a couple getting their engagement photos snapped or families taking their Christmas card portraits in front of the cheekily scrawled love letter. Lines for a quick photo in front of the now-famous green wall can stretch around the block, especially on weekends, but it doesn't seem to matter to most folks who use the same line to queue up for one of Jo's signature lattes and turbo cold brews.

Short story writer William Sydney Porter, better known to the world as O. Henry, rented this modest frame house in Austin from 1893 to 1895. Moved a few blocks from its original location and now nestled among today's downtown high-rises, the quaint museum, filled with O. Henry memorabilia, artifacts, and original drawings, reopened in 2023 after significant but mostly invisible updates to preserve the historic structure and its surrounding Brushy Square Park. The park hosts free community events, including the museum's wildly popular O. Henry Pun-Off World Championships, held every May since 1977.

In 1876, Swedish baker Charles Lundberg built this charming building just south of the Texas Capitol and operated it as a bakery for 60 years. Rescued from demolition after years of neglect, the bakery is now a registered National Historic Landmark owned by the city and remains a beautiful mainstay of Congress Avenue. The Old Bakery & Emporium no longer serves baked goods, but it's still a welcoming space that houses historical collections from Austin's pioneer days. It also features a unique gift shop and an art gallery showcasing handmade artisanal crafts created by citizens aged 50 and over. Every June, they host a Midsummer Festival to honor Swedish American heritage in Texas.

As war stories go, the most defining for Texas is, of course, the Alamo. While Davy Crockett and James Bowie are the famous names you’ll hear linked with that infamous 1836 battle, it was Susanna Dickinson who, as the brave survivor, carried the news of its fall to Sam Houston. The historic frontier woman became a renowned Texas figure and was dubbed the “Messenger of the Alamo.” Today, her "rubble rock" home, located on the historic Brushy Square Plaza, is open to the public. It showcases her personal belongings and artifacts in a permanent exhibit, with occasional traveling exhibits related to the Alamo and the Republic of Texas era.

Located on the southeast corner of the Capitol grounds, this regal 1890s edifice is the only surviving government building from Austin's first 30 years. Its Gothic style is attributed to its German architect, Conrad Stremme. This 2½-story structure, made of stuccoed stone and brick, opened in 1858 as the first home of the Texas General Land Office. The writer O. Henry worked here as a draftsman and used it as the setting for some of his short stories. Today, the visitor center and gift shop serve as a great first stop when touring the Capitol. The helpful staff can provide maps and brochures for self-guided walking tours of the grounds.

Here you’ll find exhibits dedicated to preserving and honoring the history of the military in Texas, from the inception of the Lone Star State's first militias to the modern war on terror. Heavy artillery, helicopters, uniforms, and tanks are on permanent display in the 45,000-square-foot museum that encourages a hands-on approach. Outdoor exhibits are on display throughout the Camp Mabry grounds and they host living history events, including exciting battle and World War II reenactments, on certain weekends throughout the year. Remember to bring your valid photo ID—you'll need it to get on the Camp Mabry grounds.

Many local legends attach themselves to Austin's most famous tree. At least 500 years old, this historic live oak (between 5th and 6th Streets) is the last survivor of a sacred group of trees known as the Council Oaks, used in ceremonies and meetings by Native American tribes. The tree's name derives from a legend that Stephen F. Austin negotiated the first boundary agreement between local tribes and settlers underneath its branches. In 1989, a disturbed individual attempted to poison the tree with a powerful herbicide and was later apprehended. Intensive efforts to save the tree were successful, although nearly two-thirds of the Treaty Oak died and it is now a shadow of its former self. Still, it's well worth a visit to pay your respects to this venerable survivor.

Winding a little more than 3 miles through the Circle C Ranch Metropolitan Park, this paved asphalt loop track is reserved exclusively for bicyclists and rollerbladers. Riders always travel in a one-way, clockwise direction, with designated slow and fast lanes. It's a bit off-the-beaten path, located over 10 miles from downtown, but not far from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The loop track is open every day, from dawn to dusk, and there are no on-site facilities. No dogs or walkers are allowed.